The disclosed subject matter relates generally to imaging apparatus and methods and more specifically to optical elements usable in air vehicles and munitions.
Quality imaging optical components are made from crystalline and glass materials, which are very brittle and sensitive to stress concentrations and tensile stresses. Mounting of elements made from these materials for survival under high launch and impact acceleration and forces such as unmanned air vehicles, rockets, and gun launches can be very challenging due to catastrophic failure modes of these brittle materials. Any existing or new stress concentration can cause a fracture initiation point and the optical element can be prone to shattering. This can happen, for example, in gun-launched vehicles if internal vibration, shock and resonance stress mitigation mechanisms in a vehicle structure are unable to meet or exceed mission requirements.